BUS272 TB

180 Part 2 Striving for Performance
EXHIBIT 5-4 The Job Characteristics Model
Core job
dimensions
Critical
psychological states
Personal and
work outcomes
Skill variety
Task identity
Task significance
Autonomy
Experienced
meaningfulness
of the work
Experienced
responsibility
for outcomes
of the work
High internal
work motivation
High-quality
work performance
High satisfaction
with the work
Feedback
Knowledge of the
actual results of
the work activities
Low absenteeism
and turnover
Employee growthneed
strength
Source: J. R. Hackman, G. R. Oldham, Work Redesign (excerpted from pages 78 – 80 ). Copyright © 1980 by Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.
ISBN: 978-0201027792.
service and hospitality workers rated them as being very low in meaningfulness. Fast
food cooks were at the bottom of the list of meaningfulness. 79
Jobs with high autonomy give incumbents a feeling of personal responsibility for
the results; if a job provides feedback, employees will know how effectively they are
performing. From a motivational standpoint, the JCM proposes that individuals obtain
internal rewards when they learn (knowledge of results) that they personally have
performed well (experienced responsibility) on a task they care about (experienced meaningfulness).
80 The more these three psychological states are present, the greater will be
employees’ motivation, performance, and satisfaction, and the lower their absenteeism and
likelihood of leaving. As Exhibit 5-4 also shows, individuals with a high growth need are
more likely to experience the critical psychological states when their jobs are enriched—
and respond to them more positively—than are their counterparts with a low growth need.
Autonomy does not mean the same for every person, as Focus on Research shows.
FOCUS ON RESEARCH
Autonomy and Productivity
Can autonomy really make a difference? Research published
in 2011 by professors Marylène Gagné and Devasheesh Bhave
of Concordia’s John Molson School of Business found that every
culture values autonomy, and that the perception of autonomy
has a positive impact on employees. 81 “However, managers
can’t simply export North American methods of granting autonomy anywhere and expect
them to work. Even in Canada, approaches to giving workers more autonomy need to be
constantly rethought as the country becomes more multicultural,” says Gagné.
The researchers found that how autonomy is applied makes a difference in how it
is perceived. In some cultures, too much freedom in the workplace can be viewed as
management disorganization. However, if employees feel they have some control over
their activities, they generally show more commitment and productivity, particularly when
the work is complex or demands creativity.